Every year 1.2 million shelter dogs are euthanized, many of which because they were not adopted in a short enough amount of time. Of these 1.2 million dogs, 40% are American Pit Bull Terriers, more commonly known as Pit Bulls. Pit bulls were bred and raised as dogs to lure bears to fight for entertainment. After this kind of fighting was ruled inhumane in the early to mid 1800s, people began to pit dogs against dogs. Pit Bulls were great fighters because of their high pain tolerance. Dog fighting declined in popularity in the 1960s when it was made illegal in the US. However, a recent raise in a type of dog fighting called “street fighting” has led pit bulls to associated with violence and gangs. Because of street fighting, many Pit Bulls have been trained to be aggressive towards other dogs and people. This new generation of aggressive dogs have created a negative stereotype of Pit Bulls as aggressive and uncontrollable, which has led to the creation of Breed Specific Legislation or BSLs. These BSLs are laws directed toward specific breeds of dogs regarding public health and safety. Their power ranges from giving landlords the right to force their tenants at any time to give up their dog or refuse to allow them at all. In every state landlords have the right to refuse and discriminate against specific dog breeds. Because of these laws, many owners have been forced to give up their dogs, which led to a rise in the number of Pit Bulls in shelters. When these Pit Bulls are not adopted, they are killed. Increasing the number of Pit Bulls that are adopted and changing the BSLs would dramatically decrease the number of dogs euthanized every year. In California most of these laws force everyone living in the area where the laws are enforced to spay and neuter their dogs with few exceptions (in La Verne and Gonzalez, regulations are much stricter) . Why do we want to get rid of these laws? Isn't spaying and neutering a good thing? We believe in the spaying and neutering of animals, but the problem comes with target of these laws. These laws are targeted primarily at only Pit Bull type dogs. With these laws only targeted at Pit Bulls, they lead the public to believe there is something different and more dangerous about thus type of dog. However, the public has been misinformed. Pit Bulls are no more dangerous than any other type of dog. Yes, Pit Bulls are often involved in more attacks than other type of dog. But, this is, in fact, a people's problem. People have been training these dogs to fight, just due to their high pain tolerance, as mentioned earlier. Surprising to most people, the Pit Bull Terrier came in second for having the highest temperament (lowest aggression) right after labs in a study done by the ASPCA. There are also myths about the physical capabilities of the dog. One myth is about the "locking jaw mechanism" of the Pit Bull. However Dr. Howard Evans, Dr. Sandy DeLahunta and Dr. Katherine Houpt, all profound veterinarians in the Untied States, all agree that, "there is no anatomical structure that could be a locking mechanism in any dog." Still think Pit Bulls are dangerous? Dr. Brady Barr did a study of the bite pressure of many different animals. Included in his study were German Shepards, Rottweilers and the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT). The APBT came in last with the least amount of bite pressure compared to the other two dogs. Clearly, Pit Bulls aren't as dangerous as much of current society perceives them to be. With this false stereotype, Pit Bulls are less likely to get adopted from shelters and that is the reason why they make up such a huge percentage of the shelter dogs euthanized per year. In 2013, a petition like ours was signed by 30,000 people to end BSLs. The petition was presented to President Obama and he agreed that BSLs are a bad idea. However, nothing was done at a federal level to repeal all BSLs. We want to make a difference and get rid of these unjust laws that lead to the unnecessary euthanasia of millions of dogs. There are 17 cities and counties in the State of California with BSLs. So please, sign this petition to stop targeting Pit Bulls in California and repeal all California BSL laws! Thank you for signing our petition! Alexis Arlen Gianna Denman Athenian Class of 2018